SINGAPORE – The boom in budget airline travel in South East Asia is encouraging the region’s major airports to expand their facilities for low cost carriers.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is embarking on a SGD10million expansion project at Changi’s Budget Terminal by early 2009, to increase capacity from 2.7 million passengers per year to seven million.
CAAS director-general and CEO, Lim Kim Choon, said, ” When we first decided to build the Budget Terminal about three years ago, no one could accurately predict the success of low cost travel in this region.
“With increased air transport liberalisation in this region, airlines, including low cost carriers, have now greater opportunities to rapidly expand their air network and increase their flight operations.â€
Malaysia Airports, which is in negotiations with AirAsia to develop a LCC Terminal at Penang, previously announced plans to develop a new LCC Terminal at Kuala Lumpur capable of handling a massive 30 million passengers per year.
